The Yemeni Armed Forces have succeeded in gaining control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, thereby thwarting the Israeli regime’s project in the Red Sea.

According to the international affairs desk of Fars News Agency, “Recent developments in Yemen have created an earthquake in the Israeli regime’s calculations and have severely affected projects it had planned to establish control over the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.” These were the remarks of Nizar Nazal, a Yemeni expert on Israeli affairs, regarding Yemen’s control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Speaking to Al Masirah news network, Nazal said: “What has recently happened in Yemen is a rapid and dramatic development that has affected a wide range of regional issues, particularly the Zionist project to control the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.”

He noted that the project had been a matter of concern for both the United States and Israel, adding that this concern had intensified amid fears of renewed conflict with Iran and the expansion of Iran’s influence over vital maritime routes.

The Yemeni analyst believes that Iran’s strategic relationship with Sana’a has given Tehran the ability to influence security in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. At the same time, Iran’s geographical position and its ability to influence the Strait of Hormuz have heightened U.S. and Israeli concerns about the possibility of major maritime chokepoints being placed under simultaneous pressure.

Israel’s Efforts to Strengthen Its Presence in the Red Sea Foiled

Nazal said that the importance of Bab al-Mandab is not limited to the strait itself, but also lies in the volume of trade and global supply chains that pass through it. He believes that any prolonged disruption in the region would have far-reaching consequences for international trade and the global economy, particularly for U.S. and Israeli interests.

The Israeli affairs expert stressed that the consequences of developments in Yemen are not limited to the military sphere, but also extend to the nature of U.S.-Israeli relations, which are based on mutual interests. Therefore, the Israeli regime’s inability to protect or secure strategic routes linked to maritime trade and global supply chains could place additional pressure on this relationship.

He pointed to the presence of U.S. and Western military bases in the Horn of Africa, particularly in Djibouti and areas surrounding the Red Sea, and said that Israel has significant ambitions to strengthen its military and security presence in other areas, including Somaliland. Recent developments in Yemen, he argued, have undermined these calculations and reshaped the balance of influence in the region.

The Israeli affairs analyst stated that developments along Yemen’s western coast and the advance of the country’s armed forces in the areas of Mokha, Dhubab, and Bab al-Mandab have dealt a direct blow to projects based on controlling this vital region. Yemen has now become an influential factor in determining the future regional arrangements in the Red Sea.

Nazal said that because control of Bab al-Mandab is one of the main pillars of any Israeli project aimed at strengthening its presence in the Red Sea and linking the regime’s economic and security interests to international trade routes, these developments have taken on even greater significance.

The Ben-Gurion Canal Project Goes Nowhere

Nazal also referred to the Ben-Gurion Canal project, which the Israeli regime has reportedly been planning for years to connect the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. He stressed that the project had been presented as an alternative route to Egypt’s Suez Canal, allowing Israel to benefit from global trade flows and strengthen its position within the international maritime transportation system.

One of the projects that the Israeli regime has invested in over recent years and which has repeatedly been discussed in the regime’s policy-making circles is the so-called “Ben-Gurion Canal.” The canal is envisioned as a replacement for Egypt’s Suez Canal and, due to its perceived importance, has been named after David Ben-Gurion, the founding father of Israel. The proposed route would pass near Gaza.

Many observers and analysts regard the revival of this project as one of the motives behind the Israeli regime’s efforts to reoccupy Gaza and completely displace Palestinians from the area, particularly northern Gaza, where Israeli bombardments and military operations have been concentrated over the past two years.

Although some observers regard the project as little more than a proposal with limited prospects for practical implementation, developments following the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation—particularly Yemen’s entry as one of the fronts supporting Gaza and the disruption of maritime traffic along the Red Sea–Suez Canal–Mediterranean route, including restrictions on Israeli-linked vessels—along with Netanyahu’s presentation of the “Greater Israel” plan, have made its implementation less remote.

Under this plan, the Israeli regime seeks to establish a canal connecting the eastern and western parts of the world, extending from the Mediterranean Sea to near Gaza’s northern border.

According to Nazal, Israel’s “criminal war” against Gaza has been linked to a set of strategic and economic objectives, including objectives related to future trade-route projects in the region. Recent developments in Yemen have undermined these calculations, because secure access to Bab al-Mandab has now become more complicated for projects based on redirecting trade away from the Suez Canal.

The Yemeni analyst believes that control of Bab al-Mandab is a decisive factor for any project seeking to establish an alternative route to the Suez Canal. Any canal connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean requires a stable regional environment and secure maritime passages, but developments in Yemen have made this considerably more difficult.

Yemen’s control of Bab al-Mandab has made it impossible for Israel to impose its own arrangements for navigation and trade in the Red Sea.